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SMS Sleipner 1900 1:250 HMV Catalogue # 3047 Available from Fentens Papermodels for €13.99. All images by the author except where noted. Image courtesy of Fentens Papermodels History From the publisher’s website: “The name Sleipner comes from the eight-legged horse Sleipnir of the Nordic god Odin. The name of this extraordinary horse describes gliding on land, water and in the air. How fitting for an elegant dispatch boat like the Sleipner. The torpedo boat's maximum speed was around 26.5 knots, which was impressive at the time, and with a length of 61 meters and a width of 7 meters, the Sleipner was quite impressive. Image from Wikimedia Commons: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/SMS_S_97.jpg When commissioned, SMS Sleipner carried the designation S97. The torpedo boat destroyers S90 to S101 are sister ships of the Sleipner. All of these ships were built at the Schichau shipyard between 1898 and 1901. S97 Sleipner was launched in Elbing on December 16, 1899 and was put into service on May 28, 1900. Sleipner's two propellers were powered by two triple steam engines and Schichau-Thornycroft water-tube boilers were used. The maximum water displacement was 394t. The ship was supposed to have a crew of 49 men. The SMS Sleipner was intended from the start as an escort ship for the imperial yacht Hohenzollern. That's why we often talk about the imperial dispatch boat Sleipner. The usual accompaniment of the Hohenzollern when traveling consisted of at least one warship and a dispatch boat. This task was carried out from 1900 to 1914 by SMS Sleipner. Many pictures show Hohenzollern with Sleipner somewhere in the background. The Hohenzollern's journeys took Sleipner, among others, to Venice, to Alesund, and also to the Norwegian south coast. It happened that the emperor himself was on board SMS Sleipner and he used the ship for visits or events occasionally. During the Kieler Woche and similar sailing events the SMS Sleipner occasionally worked as a yacht tug for large sailing yachts such as Germania or Meteor. The dispatch boat also was applied to the service of science and on July 1, 1904, under the direction of the German meteorologist and geophysicist Hugo Hergesell and the French naval officer Sauerwein, it brought a kite probe to a height of 1,880 meters. The Sleipner's armament consisted of 2 rapid-fire cannons of caliber 5 cm, which were used as saluting guns. The torpedo boat sister ships had 3 of these rapid-fire cannons on board and were also equipped with 3 torpedo tubes. On September 4, 1914, the Sleipner was renamed T97 and used as a coastal defense ship. In 1917 and 1918 she also performed patrol duties and served as an escort ship. After the war, the former Sleipner served in the Reichsmarine for a short time. On March 22, 1921, T97 was struck from the register of the Reichsmarine and then sold to Düsseldorf for demolition on May 26, 1921.” The Kit HMV (Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag) have added another tempting kit to their lineup of high-quality card models in 1/250 scale. This time, the subject is one we don’t often see, if ever, in the card medium—a handsome dispatch boat from Europe’s Belle Époque. The cover of the kit (see above) features several digitally rendered views of SMS Sleipner. The ship’s sleek lines suggest that Sleipner was built for speed, as indeed she was, considering her torpedo boat heritage. But other visual cues hint at her more aristocratic and less-deadly purpose, such as her lack of armament, ornate railings, and awning-covered salon. The cover also informs us that the kit consists of 329 parts and has a difficulty rating of mittel (intermediate), suggesting that the kit is appropriate for anyone having a few card models already under their belt. At 252 mm in length, the finished model will not make huge demands on anyone’s limited display space. Let’s look inside the kit and see what you get! Instructions/Diagrams As is typical with HMV kits, there aren’t any written instructions other than a very brief overview consisting of a list of required tools, general tips for building card models, and a key for the various codes used in the diagrams. A circled letter ‘L’, for example, means that the indicated part can be replaced with a part from the optional laser-cut detail set. Fortunately for us, HMV’s diagrams are first-rate and cover all phases of construction. Parts Not all of HMV’s kits have full hulls, but this one does. The design gives the builder the choice of building either a full-hull or waterline model. The hull is designed with the usual HMV “egg crate” construction. Sleipner’s hull has noticeable turtle-back joints between the deck and hull sides, and this might be one of the trickier aspects of the model to pull off neatly. The printing is crisp, and the registration is flawless. Sleipner wears the white topsides and buff funnels of the peacetime German Imperial Navy. The design includes doubled elements (see part 27a below) that will make the proper location of superstructure features, such as the salon walls, much easier than was possible using the old folded-tabs method. Optional parts are included for adding depth to printed elements such as watertight doors. Nice additional touches include a stand and an optional sunshade. Laser-Cut Detail Set To help cope with some of the smaller and more delicate parts of the model, a set of laser-cut detail parts is available to purchase separately. The set consists of six frets in various colors, including metallicized card for the propellers. Particularly nice are the lattice-work railings. The part numbers for the set are laser-engraved on each fret, but—just in case—the set includes a list of all the parts in the set and a pictorial key. Conclusion For years now, card modelers have counted on HMV to publish new kits depicting attractive subjects that tend to be off the beaten path, with an emphasis on Germany’s rich maritime heritage. Sleipner slots into the HMV lineup very nicely. With high-quality graphics, clear construction diagrams, and the option to use laser-cut details, Sleipner should appeal to all fans of card model ships, from novice builders to seasoned veterans. Sincere thanks are due to Benjamin Fentens at Fentens Cardmodels (see link at top) for providing this example for review. Tell them you read about it at Model Ship World!

Welcome aboard, Tim!

Congratulations on finishing! If you have limited experience with wood, I'd recommend Flirt.

It is -- I already built it! Well, the original Caldercraft version, that is. At the time, I didn't know I could build the new, revisited version if I just waited 23 years. 😉

Welcome!

Are you aware that Billing Boats already makes a St. Roch? We have a build log for one in progress right now.

My wife might respond by saying that 0" of ship is the appropriate length for our home. That said, I prefer projects that tend to the smaller side of things, and that makes small-ish subjects attractive, because they can be built at larger scales and therefore be more detailed. Now with that said, I might just have to create whatever space is required if you were to develop a CA Thayer kit!

Super job! Congratulations!

Another type with no representation in the kit world AFAIK is the classic c.1810-40 three-masted Bermuda schooner.

I will add in my congratulations as well. Your model is equal parts impressive and beautiful! I love the display and the matching wall art.

$40 is for the set of tips. If you hunt around the website, you may find the 3003 tip by itself, or send Gerhard an inquiry. I have no experience with a flat-tipped tool, but remember that bends aren't flat -- they're curved, which is why dedicated planking tools are curved as well. And think of the tool as an investment -- if you're going to be in the hobby for a long time, the cost is worth it in the long run.

GK Modellbau https://www.gk-modellbau-shop.de/epages/61220080.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61220080/Products/3000 I have the 3003 tip, and it works great.

Oh, like USS Boston 1884 -- yeah, I like that suggestion, too! Or USS Petrel 1889.

Okay, that's a little off the beaten path. I tell people here in South Carolina that the vast swathe of California dotted by little towns like Winters is "The Other California" -- the part non-Californians never think of.

Welcome aboard, Dave! So -- how farth north is "Northern"? I'm a Humboldt County native.

Hi, Al. I have a couple of suggestions. I have passed these on to other manufacturers in the past, but you know how it goes -- every company has their preferred niche, and man hours for development aren't unlimited. I know BlueJacket has a passion for subjects from the Northeast, but the West Coast has no comparable modeling enterprise bringing their indigenous designs to market, so it'd be nice if someone did something about that. Here are some ideas, in no particular order: 1. A West Coast salmon troller. 2. The motor launch Madaket. Last surviving vessel of the Coggeshall Launch & Tow Company and one of the few surviving vessels of her type. 3. The lumber schooner C A Thayer -- last surviving lumber schooner. Currently berthed at San Francisco Maritime NHP. She was recently completely overhauled, so someone has good plans of her somewhere. 4. A scow schooner, e.g. Alma. Midwest Products used to make one, but it's been off the market for many years now. 5. Any three-masted barkentine. A lovely rig IMO, and under-represented in the hobby. 6. For an East Coast subject, how about the schooner yacht Coronet? Schooner yachts are another under-represented segment of the hobby, and Coronet has been undergoing restoration at the International Yacht Restoration School since 1995 (soon to be transferred to Mystic Seaport, if not there already). Anyways, that's my short list.

Me neither. Legos are not my area of expertise (and my childhood was marred by having a set of knock-off building bricks that were not nearly as functional).

I like the gripper pads idea -- gonna have to copy that one.

Oooh -- chip board. 😬 Have lots of extra blades on hand!

**groan**

Beautiful model, but these images really should go in a gallery album rather than in the build logs section.

Oh, dear! 😬 Apart from my pretty sad skills when I was younger, building like a kid would require me to be able to pick up some box-scale Aurora kit from Sprouse-Reitz for a quarter!

She looks great! Is there still work to be done on her? And what kind(s) of tanks is she carrying? They look like Matildas, but it's hard to tell for sure.

I've added eight planks (four per side) since the Saturday photo. It's not exciting stuff, so I probably will not post another photo until the first layer is done.

Welcome aboard!